Drip pan



1940- w. F. KNEBUSCH EI'AL 2,226,236

DRIP PAN Filed May 3, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fm. z:

lnventors WALTER E KNEBUSCH AND ALDEN H. BURKHOLDER 1940- w. F. KNEBUSCH EI'AL 8 DRIP PAN Filed May 3, 1938 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 ,7 -i H l 9 FM I 5 l8 22 Jmaentors WALTER E KNEBuscH AND ALDEN H. BURKHOLDER Patented Dec. 24, 1940 PATENT OFFICE DRIP PAN Walter F. Knebusch, Rocky River, and Alden H.

Burkholder, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application May 3, 1938 Serial No. 205,679 3 Claims. (01. 18- 8) The instant application, which is a division of application Serial No. 7,114, filed February 18, 1935, by Walter F. Knebusch and Alden H. Burkholder, pertains to apparatus for the processing of artificial silk thread.

The continuous processing of artificial silk thread produced according to any of the wellknown methods; e. g., viscose, cellulose acetate, nitrocellulose and cuprammonium processes, ne-

cessitates subjecting the thread to a series of processing operations which are preferably performed upon said thread while it is continuously but temporarily stored upon suitable thread-advancing thread store devices. These operations involve exposing the thread to the action of a plurality of difierent processing liquids. To avoid contamination of the respective processing liquids, it is necessary to provide simple, effective means for collecting each processing liquid as it drains off the thread, this with-a view to conducting it to the sewer or to a suitable storage reservoir for recirculation.

To this end was developed the collecting device disclosed but not claimed in the application referred to above, to which collecting device the instant application is particularly directed.

In apparatus for the manufacture of artificial silk thread according to the so-called continuous process, a plurality of parallel processing units are conveniently employed each of which consists of a descending series of thread-advancing thread store devices. The thread led from any-suitable source, such as a coagulating bath, to one of said devices is continuously but temporarily stored thereon, being meanwhile subjected to the action of a suitable processing liquid. Any number of such treatments may be included in the series by providing a separate thread-advancing thread store device for each such step. A complete machine may have as many as eight or ten processing stages in each series cooperating to produce a single completely processed thread. If desired, as many as 100 of said thread processing units maybe arranged parallel to each other in sideby-side relation.

In view of the large number of thread-advancing thread store devices used on each machine, it is apparent that a compact arrangement not only of the respective thread processing units but also of the thread-advancing thread store devices going to make up each thread processing unit is extremely desirable. In the preferred arrangement of the thread processing units above described,the same processing treatment maybe ap- 55 plied to the threads on all corresponding threadadvancing thread store devices in each horizontaltier running the length of the machine. Thus it is possible to provide collecting means which may be of any appropriate length and extend lengthwise of the machine, being disposed below and serving a plurality of thread-advancing thread store devices in the same horizontal series.

Such an arrangement insures a compact, simple ever, be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but is equally applicable to the production and/or processing of artificial silk thread by any of the methods heretofore mentioned. As a matter of fact, the invention transcends the artificial silk thread industry in respectof usefulness, being capable of employment in the processing of thread and thread-like articles generally.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a continuous processing apparatus for the manufacture of multiple filament viscoseartificial silk thread showing three horizontal tiers of threadadvancing reels, together with associated apparatus including the collecting device of the present. invention. Figure 2 is a corresponding fragmentary end elevation of the machine of Figure 1 .with parts in section. Figure 3 is a plan of one tier of reels with parts omitted for the sake of clearness. the collecting device of the present invention being shown in place below the reels. Figure 4 is a perspective showing the relation between the horizontal series of reels and their respective collecting devices.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, thread 5 is led from any suitable source to the first of a plurality of thread-advancing reels 6, I and 8 disposed in stepped arrangement. By virtue of such stepped arrangement, each reel will accept at its supported end thread led thereto from above, advance it toward its unsupported end in the form of a traveling helix, and discharge it at a point in apposite relation to the receiving end of the next succeeding reel, the thread being meanwhile subjected to any desired liquid processing treatment. This sequence of operations is repeated as necessary throughout the apparatus, the thread traveling from reel 6 to reel 1 to reel 8 and so on throughout the processing unit. In addition to simplifying the transfer of the thread from reel to reel, this arrangement facilitates the inspection and manipulation of the thread upon the reels.

The several reels in each thread processingunit are rotatably mounted in the elongated gear boxes 9. Each gear box 9 extends lengthwise of the machine and serves to support and drive by means of gearing housed therein a plurality of reels in each horizontal series. Shafts Ill extend through the several gear boxes longitudinally along each horizontal tier of the machine and are actuated by the gears ll driven from the inclined drive shaft !2. Gear boxes 9 are carried upon the inclined frame members E3 to which theyare secured.

Any number of parallel hread processing units may be disposed side by side along the working face of the machine, but it has can found convenient to group a limited number, say five, such series together in a section in order to simplify the construction of the apparatus. Therefore in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanyin drawin s each gear box 9 serves to support and drive the five reels in each section in the same tier. Disposed beneath the five reels in the same section is a collecting device taking the form of a drip pan i l. The construction of such drip pan appears most clearly from Figures 3 and 4.

Drip pan M may conveniently comprise an elognated, generally trough-like member the rear Wall E5 of which is low as compared with the front wall it. The front wall it immediately opposite the discharge ends of the reels is provided with cutout portions ll which approximate a quadrant of a circle. These openings ii in the front face provide access to the front ends of the reels to inspect or manipulate the thread stored thereon. Inaddition to the openings ill, the front wall is provided with re-entrant portions is located directly in line with the discharge points of the reels disposed thereabove, each of such re-entrant portions extending throughout the height of the wall is, which, as shown, is lower at that point, to form a passage for the thread 5 in its travel to the succeeding reel in the next lower horizontal series.

As is apparent from Figures 3 and l, this thread channel I8 is approximately cylindrical in shape, leaving only a comparatively narrow slot It in the front wall of the drip pan to permit entry of the thread.

The drip pan i l may, if desired, be provided with division walls between the several reels, but in general this is not necessary. End walls 2! are provided on either end of the trough to retain the liquid and to aid in minimizing splashing. The bottom 22 of they collecting pan l4 may, if desired, be sloped slightly from either end toward the center and may likewise be sloped slightly from the front wall l5 toward the rear wall l5 in order to insure proper run-off of the liquid through the drain connection 23. Drain 23 may communicate by suitable piping either with the sewer for the disposal of the liquid or with suitable make-up reservoirs if the processing liquor is of such nature as to make its re-use desirable.

Drip pan I4 may be supported at each end by brackets 24 which rest upon flanges 25 cast on either end of the housings of the gear boxes 9 of the preceding series of reels.

In the operation of the machine, the thread 5 is led from a suitable supply source in untreated or partially treated state to the first reel 6 of each processing unit. Thread 5 is caused to wind upon reel 6 at the supported end thereof and by reason of the construction of said reel is automatically advanced in a plurality of generally helical turns. During its advance lengthwise of the reel the thread 5 is subjected to the action of a processing liquid which may, for example, be a desulphurizing reagent applied by means of any suitable form of device such as distributor 2! which may be generally of the form described and claimed in Patent No. 2,054,087 for Reagent distributor, issued September 15, 1936, to Walter F. Knebusch and Foster I-Iillix. The processing liquor applied on all of the reels in each horizontal series being the same, the distributors 27 may be advantageously suspended from and supplied by conduits 28 which extend lengthwise of the machine and serve a plurality of distributors disposed therealong.

Thread 5 as it is discharged from the free end of the reel 6 is threaded manually through the re-entrant portion l8 by passing it into the slot IS in the front wall l 6 of the drip pan I4 disposed below said reel. Thence it is directed to the thread-receiving end of the reel 1, on which it is wound and advanced to the free end thereof as before, meanwhile being subjected to another processing step such as washing by water supplied from suitable distributors 21 and associated conduits 28. Again the thread may be brought in like manner into contact with the succeeding reel 8 on which a bleaching treatment may be applied and so on, until all of the desired processing steps have been completed.

The drip pan illustrated in the accompanying drawings represents but one possible embodiment of the invention. It is apparent that it is susceptible of numerous changes which in no way affect the scope of the invention. Thus it may, for example, be fabricated of any desired material such that it may not be affected by the action of the various processing liquids. It may be made of metal and coated or painted with a corrosiveresistant substance or it may be molded of hard rubber, Bakelite or some kindred non-metallic composition.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expressionin the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A drip pan comprising an elongated, generally trough-like member having two upwardly extending longitudinal walls one of which has formed therein a plurality of open-ended reentrant portions each of which extends throughout the height of said wall.

2. A drip pan comprising an elongated, generally trough-like member having two upwardly extending longitudinal walls of which one is made up of alternate high and low portions, said wall having in each of said low portions an openended re-entrant portion extending throughout the height of said low portion.

3. Apparatus for the processing of thread or the like including a plurality of cantilever thread-advancing thread store devices arranged in parallel, substantially horizontal relation and, disposed below said plurality of thread-advancing thread store devices, a common drip pan comprising an elongated member of generally troughlike formation having two upwardly extending longitudinal walls in one of which are formed open-ended re-entrant portions corresponding in thread store devices disposed above said drip pan, each of said re-entrant portions extending throughout the height of said wall.

WALTER F. KNEBUSCH. ALDEN H. BURKHOLDER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. I

, December 2;, 19110,

- WALTER F. .KNEBUSCH, ET' AL. A

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction as followsrlnfthe heading to the printed specification, line 7, for "Application May}, 1958, Serial No. 205, 679" read -Orig 'inal application February 18, 1955, Serial No. 7,11LL. Divided and this application May 5, 1958, Serial No. 205', 679---; page 5, second column, line Patent No. 2, 226,286.

1,, claim 5, after the word in"- insert --number to the number of threadadvancingand that the said Letters Patent should be readwith this correctiontherein that the same ma; conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of February, A. D. 19m.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

